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Federal Communications Commissioner Michael Copps, in the keynote address: “The issue of a national broadband strategy is beginning to take on a life of its own. We are going to hear more about it in the national campaign, and we are going to hear more about it when the new Congress assembles next year.”

Copps also praised the March decision by the FCC to update and expand broadband data collection. (The formal decision from the agency has not yet been released.)

On the first panel, Greg Rothschild, top aide to House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., said that the current Congress wasn’t very focused on telecom-related issues. However, he said, Network Neutrality remained the “wild card” in the debate:

“Network neutrality can always bubble up…. Net neutrality moves to the forefront depending on consumer reaction, and a lot of that depends on the network operators,” said Rothschild.

“Last Congress, when Net neutrality was a big issue, we had votes in the subcommittee, and the full committee, and [in Congress.] Frankly, Net neutrality, or non-discrimination [rules] lost all three times.”

Drew Clark is the Chairman of the Broadband Breakfast Club. He tracks the development of Gigabit Networks, broadband's impact, and the universal service fund @BroadbandCensus. He is also Of Counsel with the firm of Best Best & Krieger LLP. The articles and posts on BroadbandBreakfast.com and affiliated social media, including LinkedIN, are not legal advice or legal services, do not constitute the creation of an attorney-client privilege, and represent the views of their respective authors.